Two statewide transit associations have awarded Manatee County Area Transit two group awards and individual awards to Commissioner Carol Whitmore and Manatee County Fleet employee Mike Ruth. The Florida Public Transportation Association (FPTA) and Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (FCTD) presented the awards during a conference last week in Daytona Beach. FPTA named MCAT its 2018 Innovation and Creativity Award winner for an Outcome-Based Technology Procurement Process. And MCAT won a separate Innovation Award for a tailored one-on-one and group “Travel Training” assistance program, which instructs anyone interested on how to navigate MCAT's fixed-route bus system. Commissioner Whitmore, chair of the Manatee County Local Coordinating Board, was selected as the 2018 Elected Official of the Year. Commissioner Whitmore works closely with MCAT staff and agency partners to make the Manatee County Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) program as effective and efficient as possible. And Mike Ruth, with MCAT for three years now, was named runner-up for the 2018 FPTA Fleet Technician of the Year Award.

Manatee County Area Transit